Why Hitting The Snooze Button is The Wrong Answer
Beep! Beep! Beep! SNOOZE! It sounds like the perfect sequence. You aren’t quite ready to get out of bed yet, and that big snooze button is the best-looking thing in the morning. Although it is usually the first thing people do in the morning and may seem like a good idea, it is not the best thing to do for your body.
Hitting the snooze button consistently ruins your natural circadian rhythm and can make you feel more groggy in the morning.
Snoozing your alarm in the morning always sounds like the right idea at the time just to get a couple of extra minutes of sleep. Unfortunately, it may not be the right idea, as it can mess up hormonal releases and cause dependency on an alarm. We have some tips to follow in order to break the cycle of sleeping after your alarm goes off.
Does hitting snooze help or hurt you?
Hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock is a common habit. It’s always tempting to lay in bed for a few extra minutes for precious sleep, but whether it helps you or hurts you will depend on multiple factors.
The joy of hitting the snooze button is unquestionable. It gives you a temporary sense of relief or satisfaction. It’s the extra few minutes of staying curled up in your warm bed and getting a little bit more rest, especially if you had stayed out late the night before.
However, hitting that button can have several negative effects on your overall well-being. The biggest one is that it disrupts your sleep cycle. When you hit that button, you are entering a new sleep cycle, not going back to the one you just woke up from.
When you enter a new sleep cycle and the alarm goes off again, you may not be able to finish that cycle which could cause sleep inertia. This could make you feel more groggy and affect you up to hours after waking up, messing up your mood, cognitive functioning, and productivity.
Not only will it mess up your sleep cycles, but it creates a sense of dependency. The more you rely on the snooze button, the more you will lean on it as a crutch and a habit to hit it every day. This makes it difficult for your body to begin to wake up naturally and interferes with your natural circadian rhythm.
Overall, hitting the snooze button hurts your sleep more, so let's talk about how to get out of the habit of hitting it.
How to stop hitting snooze
Create a morning routine
Create a morning routine that you enjoy and look forward to upon waking up. This could be sitting down with a cup of coffee, going on a morning walk, or listening to an uplifting podcast or playlist.
2. Set a consistent bedtime
Consistency is key when setting your internal clock, so going to bed at the same time will allow your body to adjust and get quality sleep. It is recommended that adults get between 7-9 hours of sleep so go to bed at least 7 hours before needing to wake up.
3. Turn on the lights / open the blinds
Turning on the lights or opening the blinds will allow your body to recognize that it is time to wake up and begin to suppress the production of melatonin.
4. Get out of bed
As soon as the alarm goes off try not reaching for it. Instead, sit up, this can help wake up your body. Once you are a little more awake, get out of bed and start moving, this will allow your body to gradually get started with your day and avoid the snooze button.
Get moving with this low-intensity morning workout
5. Set your alarm for the exact time you need it
Do not set your alarm 5-15 minutes before you need to wake up, this just gives you an excuse to hit that snooze button. Instead, if you need to wake up at 7:00 am, then set your alarm for that time.
6. Practice good sleep hygiene
Good sleep hygiene is what you do not only at night before bed, but throughout the day to set you up for a restful night's sleep. This could include not over napping, limiting caffeine intake, getting a workout in, putting electronics away 2 hours before bed, and dimming the lights before bed.
To learn more about sleep hygiene click HERE
7. Use a smart alarm
Use a smart alarm, like the sunrise clock that lights up gradually with the alarm tone, and it is customizable through your phone to suit your preferences. There are also alarms, like a mat alarm, that you need to stand on to turn off, which will ensure you get out of bed.
Final thoughts
This is a learning opportunity. The more you think about how the good results felt, the more likely you are to re-do what it takes to continue to feel those results. This may not be something that you can break overnight, but implementing some of our helpful tips will hopefully get you to ignore that dreaded snooze button and be ready for your day.